‘I rescued beautiful puppies from a life of hell’: 2 Londoners on trial over ‘Beagle breeding burglary’

Ben Newman, from Hackney, and Nathan McGovern, from Lewisham, are accused of being part of an activist group that allegedly stole 20 Beagles from a facility that breeds dogs for animal testing

An East London man told police ‘I rescued as many beautiful Beagle puppies as I could from a life of hell’ after a break-in at a facility that breeds dogs for animal testing, a court heard.

Ben Newman, 35, from Hackney, is one of 18 people accused of being part of a burglary involving activists from Animal Rising, formerly Animal Rebellion, after 20 dogs were taken from MBR Acres in Cambridgeshire in December 2022.

Footage played to jurors this week appeared to show activists – wearing pink t-shirts that said ‘What would you do if this was your dog?’ – kissing and cradling pups as they passed them up a ladder and over a fence under the cover of darkness.

Videos from inside the B4 building, which were also played to jurors, showed dozens of dogs who appeared to be whimpering and standing up against the side of the metal cages, while activists climbed inside to pass them out for others to take away.

Two of the dogs were recovered by police at the scene on Sawtry Way in Wyton, Huntingdon, but 18 of them were never returned to MBR (Marshall Bio Resources). Prosecutor Mitchell Cohen described it as an “organised, planned operation”.

Newman, along with Nathan McGovern, 26, from Lewisham, Hannah Hunt, 26, from Brighton, Eben Lazarus, 25, from Brighton, and Lewis Elliott, 32, from Cumbria, are the first group of defendants to face a jury at Cambridge Crown Court, with other defendants set to appear in successive linked trials due to courtroom capacity.

‘Dogs are the trading commodity of MBR Acres’

On Wednesday, December 3, Mr Cohen said it is likely this trial will focus on whether the defendants acted “dishonestly” in the eyes of an ordinary person, something the Crown must prove in order for jurors to find them guilty.

The court heard the offence of burglary under Section 9 of the Theft Act (1968) requires a person to enter as a trespasser, meaning “they know they should not be there”; and that they intend to steal, meaning to “dishonestly appropriate goods belonging to others which they do not intend to return”.

“It may be uncomfortable for you to think of dogs as goods, but they are, in this case, goods. Animate objects, of course, dogs that must be cared for, of course, but they are the trading commodity of MBR Acres, a breeding facility,” said Mr Cohen.

When deciding whether the defendant has acted dishonestly, Mr Cohen explained a belief must be “honestly held”, even if it is wrong, and that if it is honestly held the belief must be “reasonable”, meaning an ordinary person thinks the actions were reasonable or honest.

The facility, which supplies dogs for medical testing and toxicology, is licensed and inspected by the Home Office and “no concerns have been raised”, jurors were told. There has been a permanent protest outside the site called ‘Camp Beagle’, which is different to Animal Rising but ‘aligned’, according to Mr Cohen.

‘They are not coming out’

Mr Cohen said a short-term rental for 20 people was booked in Derby Road, Luton, under the name of Michael Sykes, a defendant in a later trial. In the early hours of December 20, a convoy of five hire cars set off from the rental, joining with a sixth vehicle on Huntingdon Road at around 4.30am, the court heard.

Just before 6am, CCTV played to jurors showed light from torches and possible sparks from cutting equipment, followed by footage of activists scaling a fence topped with barbed wire using a ladder.

More footage recorded by a security guard was played to jurors, including a male activist appearing to tell a guard he “understood” his job. The same video also appeared to show a ladder being pushed, with activists claiming the action could be “dangerous”.

In another video, filmed by a different guard, an activist can be heard claiming: “You have just touched my boobs, I really do not like that… We are here non-violently.” In the same footage, a guard can also be heard telling an activist “Do not lean against me” as it appears she attempts to carry a dog through a hole in the fence.

After the guard filming says “They are not coming out”, an activist can then be heard saying “They are going to kill that dog. They are going to bleed to death… All we are asking is for you to let one dog out.”

In another interaction caught on a body-worn camera, an activist appears emotional as she says: “I know you know what happens here and you must have to switch it off to do your job, but I can’t switch it off.”

‘They are brought up to die’

Mr Cohen said all the defendants were arrested at the scene, with Lazarus, Elliott, and McGovern making no comment under questioning.

Newman, who was found with pink wire-cutters, made no comment to questions, but gave a prepared statement claiming: “The actions I took today to save innocent dogs from suffering and death were lawful… I rescued as many beautiful Beagle puppies as I could from a life of hell.”

Hunt also answered no comment to questions, but added: “If you see what conditions they live in… when you smell their faeces… they are brought up to die in animal testing.”

Suggesting the defence may want to use the trial as a “political platform”, Mr Cohen added: “The law cannot allow people to break into a facility and take what does not belong to them because of their deeply held and deeply believed beliefs.

“The defendants attended as trespassers knowing they were not invited, knowing they were not welcome, and having entered as trespassers in the early hours of the morning, took property, 20 Beagles belonging to MBR Acres, and intended they would never be returned.

“They did so dishonestly against that objective test. They did so dishonestly in the minds of ordinary men and women…”

Another 13 defendants, whose names were shown to the jury on the indictment, are also set to go on trial at a later date.

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